Ocean powered compressor



Aug. 23, 1966 G. ARANYI OCEAN POWERED COMPRESSOR Filed July 22, 1964 United States Patent 3,268,154 ()CEAN POWERED COMPRESSOR Gyula Aranyi, 336 Morgan St. Phoenixville, Pa. Filed July 22, 1964, Ser. No. 384,332 6 Claims. (Cl. 230-67) This invention relates to air compression apparatus and more particularly to an air compressor powered by the motion of ocean waves.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an ocean powered compressor which will have a plurality of cylinders and pistons which will transform the amplitude of ocean waves into useful motion which will compress air for various uses.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ocean powered compressor which will have flap valve means on the pistons of the apparatus to allow entrance or air into the cylinder on the downward stroke of the piston and will close off the passageway of the connecting rods when the piston is on its upward stroke and compressing the air received within the cylinders and forcing it into the storage chamber which will also have flap means to cover the passageway into the storage chamber when the piston is on its downward stroke within the cylinder.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an ocean powered compressor which will have hollow ball means on the end of the connecting rods which will be raised by the crest of the ocean waves and roller means secured to the balls to provide guide means for the connecting rods by urging in rolling engagement with guide bar frames to prevent lateral oscillation of the connecting rods and their associated balls.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an ocean powered compressor bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and eflicient in operation and use.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which the drawing is the sole view of the compressor comprising the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, an ocean powered compressor 10 made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a plurality of hollow cylinders 12 which are fixedly secured beneath the horizontal air storage tank 14. A plurality of spaced apart openings 16 through the lower extremity of storage tank 14 provides a means for air under pressure within cylinders 12 to enter storage tank 14 and a flap valve 18 is hingeably secured within storage tank 14 above opening 16 and prevents the escape of air within storage tank 14 as will hereinafter be described. An air inlet opening 20 on each of the cylinders 12 provides passageway for air through passage 22 on one side of cylinders 12. An opening 24 within the base of cylinders 12 provides a means for air from passage 22 to enter into cylinder 12 'by means of an opening 26 through the connecting rods 28. Connecting rods 28 are secured to a piston 30 which has attached thereto a flap valve 32 which lifts when air enters opening 26 of connecting rod 28 to allow the air to enter into the uppermost section of cylinders 12 when pistons 30 are on the down stroke. The lower extremities of connecting rods 28 are fixedly secured to a hollow, spherical ball 34 which is lifted by the waves of the ocean. Ball 34 is provided with a plurality of radially spaced apart U-shaped brackets 36 which rotatably receive rollers 38 which are in rolling engagement with a guide rail frame 40 of elongated, rectangular configuration. Guide rail frame 40 provides a means ice of preventing lateral oscillation of ball 34 and its associated connecting rod 38 resulting in smooth up and down strokes.

In operation, a wave when striking ball 34 raises ball 34 and urges piston 30 upward within cylinder 12 which will compress the air contained within cylinder 12 which is exited through opening 16 and lifting valve 18 from its seat and entering storage tank 14. After piston 30 reaches top dead center, lifting action being removed from ball 34, piston 30 descends toward the bottom dead center within cylinder 12. As piston 30 descends, air which was taken in through passage 22 by means of inlet opening 20, enters opening 26 of connecting rod 28 and the downward stroke of piston 30 lifts valve 32, whereupon t-he air is urged into cylinders 12, whereupon the cycle takes place again.

It shall thus be recogized that the aforementioned apparatus serves to convert the tremendous energy of the waves of the ocean into compressed air which may be used in various types of engines and the like.

It shall further be recognized that when piston 30 is descending within cylinder 12, valve 18 is closed within storage tank 14, and the vacuum created within cylinder 12 above piston 38 lifts valve 32 of piston 30, whereupon the air enters through connecting rod 28 into the upper portion of cylinder 12, where it may be compressed on the upward stroke of the connecting rod 28 and its associated piston 30.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An ocean powered compressor apparatus comprising, in combination, a plurality of cylinders, a single storage tank carried by said cylinders providing storage means for compressed air produced by said apparatus, an elongated hollow connecting rod and attached piston carried by said cylinders providing a means for ingressing air into said cylinder and compressing air within said cylinder and urging it into said compressor storage tank, a hollow metallic ball carried by said apparatus providing a means for transferring the amplitude of the waves of the ocean into vertical motion for urging said piston upward to compress said air, a guide rail frame carried by said cylinder providing guide means for said ball and a plurality of rollers providing a means for preventing lateral oscillation of said connecting rods.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said cylinders are secured beneath said storage tank and are spaced apart from each other providing a means for catching waves of various pitch and amplitude and said cylinders are provided with an L-shaped passageway which intersects an opening in an angular neck secured to said cylinders and said neck and said passageway provides a means for the ingressing of air into said cylinders and said connecting rods.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said connecting rod is hollow and elongated in configuration and is provided with an opening at its upper end which is flush wit-h the upper surface of the piston connected to said connecting rod and flap valve means secured to said piston to prevent the escape of air through the opening in the upper extremity of said connecting rod when said piston is on the up stroke which is created by a wave urging said ball secured to the lower extremity of said connecting rod.

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein said ball when urged upward by said wave compresses said air within said cylinder and said air is ingressed through an opening in said storage tank and lifts a flap valve over said opening in said storage tank and when on the downward stroke said valve over the opening of said storage tank closes to prevent escape of compressed air within said storage tank.

5. The combination according to claim 4 wherein air is ingressed into said neck of said cylinder which intersects said L-shaped passageway within said cylinder and said air enters an opening in the bottom of said cylinder and ingresses through an opening in the side of said connecting rod and is thus ingressed into said cylinder above said piston and while on the downward stroke a vacuum created by said downward stroke within said cylinder lifts said flap valve secured to said piston above said connecting rod opening and thus air is ingressed into said cylinder for compression.

6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein lifting means for said piston comprises said hollow metallic ball secured to the lower extremity of said connecting rod, and said hollow ball is provided with a plurality of radially spaced apart U-shaped brackets, said U-shaped brackets freely and rotatably receiving grooved rollers, said grooved rollers being in rolling engagement with the inside of said guide rail frame and said guide rail frame prevents lateral oscillation of said connecting rod.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 693,270 2/1902 Hannah 23067 1,264,737 4/1918 Woods 23067 1,523,031 1/1925 Mitchell 103--70 MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner.

W. E. COLEMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN OCEAN POWERED COMPRESSOR APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A PLURALITY OF CYLINDERS, A SINGLE STORAGE TANK CARRIED BY SAID CYLINDERS PROVIDING STORAGE MEANS FOR COMPRESSED AIR PRODUCED BY SAID APPARATUS, AN ELONGATED HOLLOW CONNECTING ROD AND ATTACHED PISTON CARRIED BY SAID CYLINDERS PROVIDING A MEANS FOR INGRESSING AIR INTO SAIC CYLINDER AND COMPRESSING AIR WITHIN SAID CYLINDER AND URGING IT INTO SAID COMPRESSOR STORAGE TANK, A HOLLOW METALLIC BALL CARRIED BY SAID APPARATUS PROVIDING A MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING THE AMPLITUDE OF THE WAVES OF THE OCEAN INTO VERTICAL MOTION FOR URGING SAID PISTON UPWARD TO COMPRESS SAID AIR, A GUIDE RAIL FRAME CARRIED BY SAID CYLINDER PROVIDING GUIDE MEANS FOR SAID BALL AND A PLURALITY OF ROLLERS PROVIDING A MEANS FOR PREVENTING LATERAL OSCILLATION OF SAID CONNECTING RODS. 